Fidgeting Can Fight The Risks Of Sitting

Sitting causes long-term health problems. Fidgeting annoys the people around you. According to science, there is a lesser of the two evils. For a study published in the Journal of Physiology in 2016, researchers from the University of Missouri set out to determine whether fidgeting could decrease the decline in blood circulation that comes from sitting for a long period of time. They asked 11 men and women to sit for three hours as they tapped one foot for one minute at a time followed by four minutes of rest. The participants kept the other leg still for comparison. Researchers took measurements of arteries in the subjects' legs before and after the sitting period, and found that the fidgeting leg experienced a significant increase in blood flow. Of course, fidgeting is no replacement for walking breaks and regular exercise, but when you're stuck in an office or airplane for a long period of time, it's the next best thing. To find out more ways to ward off the risks of sitting, check out the videos below.